It started with a flier, and continues with rewarding experiences.
Northwest student Alycia Gilbert first got involved with Volunteer Services and service learning last spring with Alternative Spring Break. Now she continues to volunteer around the community and campus.
Gilbert did not volunteer often before she got involved with Alternative Spring Break. Now, she volunteers at concerts, the Pow Wow and occasionally valet parking for campus events.
"I mainly deal with Alternative Spring Break, but I help out as much as I can," Gilbert said. "When I got involved, I wasn't involved in very much, but after talking to Amy (Nally) and seeing the passion that she has for volunteering, it kind of became my passion as well."
While volunteering for Alternative Spring Break, Gilbert changed her outlook on life.
One night when helping at the Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee, Fla., Gilbert helped with family fishing.
"That was the most fun I had because it was so calm and relaxed," Gilbert said. "It was amazing to see these kids that have gone through so much still be kids that are healthy and wonderful."
Participating in Alternative Spring Break is one of the greatest learning experiences Gilbert has had, she said.
Volunteering offers networking skills and someone can build friendships through volunteering, she said. It is also very satisfying for her.
"At the end of the day, it's really rewarding to know that you helped someone else," Gilbert said. "It becomes less of a chore and becomes something more fun to do."
Volunteering is not just picking up trash, Gilbert said. There are many different ways to volunteer.
"I used to always think that volunteering was, 'Oh, I have to go pick up trash,' and be really bummed about it, but there is such a wider range of volunteering," Gilbert said.
Volunteer Services Coordinator Amy Nally said Volunteer Services is an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to volunteer for community services on and off campus.
For four weeks, Volunteer Services sponsored a table in the J.W. Jones Student Union, promoting voter registration and helping about 750 students on campus register, Nally said.
There are more than 1,000 names on the volunteer list who volunteered at one time or another, Nally said.
She first got involved with volunteering because it made her feel good and to make students aware of volunteering.
"Volunteering gives me the self satisfaction of knowing that I made a difference in life," Nally said. "It's a great way for students to stay involved in the community and for the community to see them as not just as students but as someone who gives to and cares about what happens in the Maryville community."
Some of the upcoming opportunities to volunteer include the Pow Wow, MOSAIC and collecting food for the Ministry Center food pantry.
For someone interested in volunteering, Gilbert said to go for it.
"It looks great on resumes to be able to say that you have volunteered, and it really shows your future employers that you are willing to do something outside of yourself," Gilbert said. "I think that is a great quality to have. It is also a really great way to meet people on campus and get involved and make friends."
If anyone is interested in volunteering, they should contact Amy Nally by e-mail at Anally@nwmissouri.edu or by checking out the Volunteer Services Web site on the Northwest Web site.
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